Struggling to draw the line between self-practice & yoga sequencing prep as a yoga teacher? 7 best tips for you

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Do you usually struggle with maintaining boundaries between your self-practice & class prep as a yoga teacher? Do you spend way too much time with yoga sequencing for your classes than your self-practice? Well, you’re not alone. If you saw the responses to this post I uploaded to Instagram, you’ll know that MANY yoga teachers face this issue. Every single day!

I’m 100% sure that this is a problem for not just new yoga teachers but also seasoned ones. Because sometimes our sincerity makes us…O-V-E-R-T-H-I-N-K everything, right? (Or is it just me?) For many years I used to always think about all things yoga sequencing & class prep even in the most sacred, intimate moments of my self-practice. There were days when I thought, “Ugh, I wish I never became a yoga teacher.” Because I stopped enjoying the yoga.

That was because I was doing it all wrong! It took me many years to figure out how to not always be obsessing about class prep and learning just to be fully present in my own yoga practice. I’ve compiled these suggestions after much trial and error on my end. These suggestions are not only practical but also ridiculously simple. I bet you’ll read them and wonder why you didn’t think of these yourself sooner?

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I’ve put together a list of suggestions that are guaranteed to help you draw the line between self-practice & yoga sequencing prep. So you not only deepen your connection to your own yoga practice. But also show up as a better teacher every time you’re in class.

7 ways to draw the line between self-practice & yoga sequencing prep…

• Create a schedule for self-practice & yoga sequencing & teaching prep. For ex- Monday/Wednesday/Friday mornings at 8am are reserved for yoga sequencing prep. Tuesday & Thursday evenings at 5pm are to work on all things for teaching. The more specific you can get here the better. 

• When possible, use environmental cues to help. Keep your self-practice space & yoga sequencing & class prep space different if possible. Just being in a different physical space will help.

• If that’s not possible, add a ritual to class prep like a warm cup of tea, soft music, dim lights, or some such obvious thing that you enjoy that’s different from your self-practice. If you have to practice in the same room, then turn away from your practice space to prep.

• Set a time limit for yoga sequencing & class prep almost like you’re in a one-on-one meeting with yourself.

• Don’t prepare for class every day. Batch work it into a couple of chunks a week. Let self-practice be the bigger constant, not yoga sequencing & class prep. That way you never lose sight of your own yoga journey as a student. 

• If you do have insights that come up in self-practice, journal them at the end of practice in a disciplined way. 

• Keep class prep & self-practice journals different. So there’s no confusion. 

Over time the more you create this differentiation the easier it will get to not let the two crosses over. Remember it won’t be perfect at first. But if you’re intentional about this every time, it will absolutely help you get these two untangled. If you try any of these, I’d love to know how they worked. Better yet, if there’s any that you’ve been doing that can help others. Let me know…

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